Grand Corps Malade: Pas Essential

An absolutely essential track from Grand Corps Malade, summing up much of what's wrong with lockdown restrictions on our lives.

Whether you agree or not with the changes that have been put in place as a consequence of COVID-19, there can be no denying the effect that they have had on everyone's lives, with what were once simple everyday occurrences now out of bounds.

I like how the video brings in the faces of those who have been hit hardest, the cafe owner, restaurant staff, the bookseller, the florist and many others. A reminder that they're not 'the economy' or 'business' but actual human beings, facing loss and uncertainty on top of the pandemic,

The irony is, of course, that far from being non-essential, the arts are more essential than they ever have been. We'd struggle to get through the isolation and difficulty without music, film and television. 

But despite that artists, producers and venues are struggling and many will go under in coming months.

Some restaurants, bars and venues will never open again, some artists will move on to other careers with less uncertainty. We will all be diminished. 

The end to this dark time can't come soon enough.

M & Vanessa Paradis: La Seine

 Love this clip of M. M and Ms Paradis on a Facebook live.

Two talented artists in a relaxed and informal setting looking like they're genuinely having a lot of fun.

The song was originally from the soundtrack of the 2011 movie A monster in Paris. The soundtrack was, of course, originally created by M and Vanessa Paradis, La Seine being the stand-out track which was released as a single.

There's a lot to be said for artists being able to create their own broadcasts on platforms like Facebook. It's less formal and intrusive, and lets them perform in a comfortable and accessible environment even during the current Coronavirus restrictions. 

It may lack the budget of television or even the art and craft of some of the high-quality online session performances that have emerged in recent years, but it gives access to artists in a new way and allows them direct involvement in the creative process.

Hopefully we'll see much more of this kind of thing!

 

Transmusicales festival online #lestrans

Some very good news with the (slight) return of the Transmusicales festival in Rennes later today.

This year's event fell victim to COVID-19 cancellation following the announcement of the latest round of lockdown in France.

The festival team had been working to make the event possible this year, amid stringent restrictions, with smaller audiences and much more controlled situations for performances, but the announcement of further lockdown measures apparently put an end to it.

But the recent loosening of lockdown made a form of the event possible, with online platforms bringing a flavour of the event to an audience.

The Transmusicales events run from this afternoon until December 5. You can watch on Facebook or YouTube - details below of who's playing when and how you can watch.